Contents

Resulting from a competition of 1895,[1] the hotel originally opened in 1902. It was designed by architect William Hamilton Beattie and for most of the twentieth century was known as the North British Hotel or simply the N.B., a traditional railway hotel built for the North British Railway Company adjacent to their Waverley Station. It kept the same name until the late 1980s when it was renamed the Balmoral Hotel after refurbishment,[2] despite being located over 100 miles (160 km) south of Balmoral Castle.

For travellers arriving by train, the hotel provided comfortable and elegant lodgings, before they continued their journeys. To assist passengers in reaching their train on time, the hotel tower's clock, visible from a considerable distance away, is traditionally set to be three minutes fast. The clock tower, at 190 feet (58 m) high, forms a prominent landmark in Edinburgh's city centre. The building’s architecture is Victorian, influenced by the traditional Scottish baronial style. It was stripped of most of its ornamental stone balconies in its refurbishment, and while remaining ornate, is visibly "scarred".

In 2004 the BBC made the clock tower of the hotel the base of their villain, Toledo in the show Shoebox Zoo.

In February 2007 it was confirmed that author J. K. Rowling finished the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at this hotel. Rowling left a signed statement written on a marble bust of Hermes in her room saying; "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (652) on 11th Jan 2007".[3] The room has since been renamed the "J.K. Rowling Suite," and the marble bust has been placed in a protective glass case to prevent theft. The suite, priced at nearly £1,000 per night, is a pilgrimage site for Harry Potter fans.[4]

The hotel is the setting for a large portion of the Scottish film Hallam Foe, where the principal character beds down in the clock tower, and spies on his love interest in Cockburn Street.